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Biggest Headlines of 2008: California Voters Pass Gay Marriage Ban

CitizenSugar — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 11:30:25 -0800

In November, California passed Prop 8 with 53 percent of the vote, changing the state Constitution to repeal same-sex marriage. The state's Supreme Court legalized gay marriage earlier this year, but the amendment limits marriage to heterosexual couples. Similar bans have been set in 27 states, but none of those states had previously legalized marriage.

Following the ruling, opponents filed suits, held rallies, and lashed out at the Mormon church for its well-funded campaign supporting the prop. In late November, the California Supreme Court accepted three lawsuits taking on Proposition 8, but denied the requests to halt enforcement. Proponents have until Dec. 19 to file their return and brief. Even though California's same-sex marriage battles makes the cut for the biggest headlines of 2008, we still have to wait for the next chapter. Legal experts expect California Supreme Court will make a final decision in 2009.
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Update: California Voters Pass Gay Marriage Ban

CitizenSugar — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 09:56:49 -0800

After a morning of uncertainty it has been confirmed that California has passed Prop 8, which would change the state Constitution to ban same-sex marriage.

The ban had 5,125,752 votes, or 52 percent, while there were 4,725,313 votes, or 48 percent, opposed.

California legalized gay marriage earlier this year, but the constitutional amendment will limit marriage to heterosexual couples. Similar bans have been set in 27 states, but none of those states had previously legalized marriage. Update: Opponents have already filed suit in an attempt to stop the measure from taking effect.

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Same-sex Marriage Ban Leading in California

CitizenSugar — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 08:34:48 -0800

It's still too close call, but it looks like California voters have backed Proposition 8, which would change the state Constitution to ban same-sex marriage. California Supreme Court legalized nuptials for same-sex couples earlier this year, and more than 18,000 couples took advantage of the landmark decision.

Right now about 95 percent of the vote is counted and the measure has 52 percent of the vote, but election officials estimate there could be as many as two million ballots left to count — primarily mail ballots that arrived Tuesday. The San Francisco City Attorney's office says he plans to challenge the validity of a ballot measure.

Yesterday was a sad day for America across the board in terms of gay marriage. In Arizona, Proposition 102 which bans gay marriage, easily passed. In Florida, the gay marriage ban needed 60 percent of the vote and still passed, which also restricts rights of any cohabitating couple who are not husband and wife. Meanwhile, Arkansas passed a measure forbidding anyone other than a married man and woman from adopting a child.

Stay tuned for final results as they come in.

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Ellen DeGeneres Slams Sarah Palin On Gay Marriage

CitizenSugar — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 15:40:21 -0700

Ellen DeGeneres Slams Sarah Palin on Gay Marriage Ellen DeGeneres gave an emotional plea on behalf of gay marriage on her show Wednesday, and included remarks targeting Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin: "I don't know if you saw this, but vice presidential candidate, Governor Sarah Palin says she's that in favor of a federal ban on gay marriage," Ellen said. "Basically she wants to change the constitution. So if you're wondering, I'm sure you are, how I feel about this . . . I don't like it, I don't like it. I don't agree. Maybe it's because I'm gay that I think we should all be equal. But I feel that we're all equal."

Palin Breaks With McCain on Gay Marriage Amendment

CitizenSugar — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 14:25:08 -0700

Palin Breaks With McCain on Gay Marriage Amendment Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin says she supports a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, a break with John McCain who has said he believes states should be left to define what marriage is. The Alaska governor said she had voted in 1998 for a state amendment banning same sex marriage and hoped to see a federal ban on such unions. "I have voted along with the vast majority of Alaskans who had the opportunity to vote to amend our Constitution defining marriage as between one man and one woman. I wish on a federal level that's where we would go. I don't support gay marriage," Palin said.

Hallmark Rolls Out Gay Wedding Greetings: Tasteful or Tacky?

CitizenSugar — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 07:51:12 -0700

Though just a scootch late for the famous nuptials of Ellen and Portia, Hallmark has rolled out a new line of greetings, created for just such an occasion. In response to California ruling gay marriage legal, Hallmark saw a fancy card niche to be filled — one that doesn't involve shiny embossed images of a traditional bride and groom. Despite the fact that most states don't recognize gay marriage (CA and MA are the only two) several others recognize civil commitments, and when there's a ceremony, there's a cause for card.Hallmarks says the decision to offer the greetings was not politically motivated, but rather a response to consumer demand. Their spokeswoman says, "it's our goal to be as relevant as possible to as many people as we can." Indeed they started offering "coming out" cards last year (an event that strikes me as more interesting? I did not know one gave a card for such an occasion!) The new cards contain neutral language, speaking to love rather than a specific event so they're useful for weddings or commitments. Four designs in all will be released this summer.As 85,000 same-sex couples have become legal in one way or another since 1997 and estimates peg nearly 120,000 more will join Ellen, spelling millions in new business for wedding industries. Is this just smart marketing? Hallmark has already expanded to include cards for "sorry you can't get pregnant," and "good luck in rehab," as well as interfaith marriages — because in greetings, it's the specificity that counts?Source

Hallmark Rolls Out Gay Wedding Greetings: Tasteful or Tacky?

Tasteful. It's smart business, savvy etiquette, and a sign of mainstream acceptance.

Tacky! By hyping them as gay greetings, they're taking advantage to make a buck.

I suppose there's no harm in making them available, but it does seem opportunistic.

Other. I'll greet you in the comments.

Marriage Maverick Mayor Weds Mad Men Actress Siebel

CitizenSugar — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 00:00:49 -0700

San Francisco's marriage-equality lightening rod, Gavin Newsom tied the knot himself over the weekend. In a Montana ranch ceremony he married actress Jennifer Siebel. If you watched last night's Mad Men premiere, you'll know her as Betty's old roommate and pricey prostitute, Juanita.

Guests of honor included Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and former Mayor Willie Brown. The golden and beautiful affair was the second set of "I dos" for Newsom. He and former wife Kimberly Guilfoyle (of Fox News fame) split shortly after he began issuing maverick same-sex wedding certificates in 2004.

On top of her one-time Mad Men performance (or not!, she does have Don's business card), the bride has appeared recently on the NBC show, Life. The groom just filed exploratory papers to run against Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for the office in 2011. The couple will honeymoon in Africa.

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Massachusetts Senate Expands Gay Marriage Rights To Out-Of-State Couples

CitizenSugar — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:40:25 -0700

Massachusetts Senate Expands Gay Marriage Rights to Out-of-State Couples: The Massachusetts Senate voted Tuesday to repeal a 1913 law used to bar out-of-state gay couples from marrying in the state, a law that critics say was originally aimed at interracial marriages. The law prohibits couples from obtaining marriage licenses if they can't legally wed in their home states. After Massachusetts became the first state to allow gay marriages in 2004, then-Gov. Mitt Romney ordered town clerks to enforce the then-little-known 1913 law and deny licenses to out-of-state couples.

McCain and Obama Assume Their Positions on Gay Marriage

LibertySugar — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:00:35 -0700

With a same-sex marriage ban on the ballot in Florida, John McCain and Barack Obama have staked out their positions on what could prove to be a consequential issue again this Fall. Both candidates have weighed in on the California ballot initiative that would override the state's supreme court ruling legalizing gay marriage: Obama opposes the ban, and McCain supports it.

The candidates characterize the measure differently. McCain calls the campaign to amend California's constitution an effort "to recognize marriage as a unique institution between a man and a woman." Conversely, Obama stated that he opposed "the divisive and discriminatory efforts to amend the California Constitution."

The San Francisco Chronicle explores the candidates' records on the issue. For that information,

Exclusive! We Talk to SF Mayor, Mastermind of Gay Marriage

CitizenSugar — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 09:00:12 -0700

Last night at the San Francisco premiere of the short movie The Butler's in Love (directed by David Arquette) Pop shimmied up to Gavin Newsom, mayor of San Francisco and instrumental force in the brand new rights for all to marry in the state of California, and popped a couple of questions of our own.

Since we've been closely following the burst of new weddings, we had to ask the political trailblazer:

What’s next after the gay marriage victory?

The biggest most important thing is to defeat the initiative this November. It is absolutely critical we not allow this extraordinary moment in time where the Supreme Court has stepped up and adjudicated that the Constitution did not allow us to discriminate against same-sex couples for the public to then just a few months later write discrimination into the Constitution — so that’s the most important thing then, is to defeat it. And then to continue our efforts to expand rights and to expand opportunities for everyone regardless of their race, ethnicity, or their gender, or their sexual orientation and then to continue to build upon these efforts and to continue to address the issues of racial injustice and gender injustice that continue to this day — so there’s still a lot of work to be done.

Newsom supported Hillary Clinton during her campaign — now that Obama's the candidate, we asked the big unity question. To find out what he had to say,

Is This Heinz Ad Inappropriate?

LibertySugar — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 13:25:00 -0700

Is This Heinz Ad Inappropriate? Update! In a controversial move, condiment king Heinz has pulled a UK television commercial from the air. Viewers complained that the commercial — which features a single-sex parental relationship — was inappropriate and unsuitable.

Exclusive Video: Same-Sex Couples Are "Spouses For Life"

LibertySugar — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 03:00:00 -0700

Yesterday, more than 1,400 same-sex couples all over California tied the knot, and will continue to do so indefinitely. Along with taking some pictures of the scene in San Francisco, we filmed the newlyweds and their families talking about their love and decisions to get married. We even caught one couple exchanging vows! Watch the video to hear what impact California's decision to legalize same-sex marriage has had on families so far, in their own words. It's a very moving video!

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After seeing this video, do your feelings toward marriage change? Is it possible to leave emotions aside, and support a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage? I guess we will find out in November, when California voters get a chance to adopt or reject a proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

Exclusive Photos: San Francisco Celebrates Gay Marriage

LibertySugar — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:45:00 -0700

Not wanting to miss a historical moment, I went down bright and early to San Francisco's City Hall to check out all the wedding festivities. Today is the first full day of same-sex marriages, following the California Supreme Court ruling that legalized the nuptials. A romantic and emotional atmosphere surrounded the happy newlyweds. While I was there, snapping these photos of the enthusiastic participants, I noticed nothing but support for these unions between same-sex couples. Take a peek at this special day. Do you think we'll see more days like this throughout the country?

Norway Passes Law Approving Gay Marriage

CitizenSugar — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 09:57:09 -0700

Norway Passes Law Approving Gay Marriage The AP reports: Gay couples in Norway will be granted the same rights as heterosexuals to marry, adopt and undergo artificial insemination under a new equality law passed Tuesday. Norway's upper house of parliament voted 23-17 in favor of the gender-neutral marriage law on the same day that gay couples were marrying in California. The law replaces 1993 legislation that gave gays the right to enter civil unions similar to marriage but did not allow church weddings or adoption. It takes effect Jan. 1.

Gay Marriage Is on Now! Know the Debate Behind the Bells?

LibertySugar — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 06:00:53 -0700

Today most counties in California, the nation's most populous state, will begin their first full day of issuing marriage licenses to committed couples, regardless their gender combination. San Francisco kicked things off last night at 5:00 p.m., with Mayor Gavin Newsom marrying Phyllis Lyon, 87 and Del Martin, 84, who have been in love for over 50 years.

Take this quiz to find out if you've been following our gay rights coverage. After you get your results, you'll see some lovely highlights from many diverse stories. And for some laughs, watch Stephen Colbert interview a gay rights activist in his hilarious segment "Better Know a Gay Lobbyist."

Stay tuned for our exclusive eye-witness coverage of the same-sex ceremonies taking place at San Francisco's city hall today. Do you think we will see ceremonies like this spreading across the country or a more organized effort to halt the movement?

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Authorities in California and Egypt Refuse Marriages

LibertySugar — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 11:00:00 -0700

Some of California's most conservative counties will not be holding marriage ceremonies — gay or straight — citing inadequate resources for the expected influx of couples seeking marriage once same-sex couples are permitted to marry on June 15. Many are crying foul, as a local newspaper published emails sent from the Kern County clerk asking a conservative group opposed to gay marriage for legal assistance.

The Campaign For Children and Families wants clerks to deny same-sex licenses in counties "where the man-woman marriage ethic is strongest in California," until voters have their say on a November ballot initiative that would ban gay marriage.

Far from California, Egyptian authorities refused to endorse a marriage between a 92-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl. To find out why,

Gay Couples Have Something to Teach Straight Counterparts

LibertySugar — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:30:00 -0700

Sure to mix up the gay marriage debate, social scientists are turning to same-sex couples to find out what makes a healthy relationship and marriage. One study analyzed how Vermont's married couples address issues like money, household work, and sex, as compared to gay couples joined in civil unions.

Some of the research findings include:

Same-sex partners generally share the work evenly. Conversely, in hetero relationships, the woman usually does more housework, while the man holds more financial responsibility.
In straight relationships, men are more likely to initiate sex, while women are more likely to refuse sex and initiate "talks" about relationship problems. But, in same-sex couples, there is a balanced sharing of such behaviors.

For some more analysis, and to find out how the groups handle arguments differently,

Greece Grants Gay Marriages, Japan Awards Gender Rights

CitizenSugar — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 10:00:41 -0700

With a Greek mayor who presided over outlawed gay marriages yesterday saying, "The laws on marriage simply do not specify any genders. To me, therefore, if something is not banned by law it is not illegal," now facing jail time for his actions, Japan's government is actually moving toward broader gender ideas.

Japan’s House of Councillors (like the US Senate) has unanimously passed legislation which will allow people with gender identity disorder to officially change their sex, giving Gender Identity Disordered (GID) people the ability to change the way the world perceives them — on paper. To see how,

Gay Marriage Ban Qualifies For California Ballot

CitizenSugar — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 10:55:04 -0700

Gay Marriage Ban Qualifies For California Ballot The AP reports: An initiative that would again outlaw gay marriage in California has qualified for the November ballot, the Secretary of State announced Monday. The measure would amend the state constitution to "provide that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." If approved by a majority of voters on Nov. 4, the amendment would overturn the recent California Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage in the state. It is similar to gay marriage bans that have been adopted in 26 other states.

California's First Gay Marriages Set For June 17

CitizenSugar — Thu, 29 May 2008 00:00:49 -0700

I don't know if there's still time to hire a caterer or book a band, but state authorities have just announced that June 17 is the first day same-sex marriages will be officiated in California. The announcement comes two weeks after the state Supreme Court rejected a ban on gay marriage.

How will it work? The authorities say the terms husband and wife will be replaced by "party A" and "party B." No other details distinguish the ceremony from any other marriage officiated by state authorities.

After the 4-3 ruling California becomes only the second US state after Massachusetts to legalize unions between homosexuals. Since Supreme Court rulings typically apply 30 days after publication, state authorities set June 17 as the date for the first weddings, clearing the safety zone since the ruling can be appealed up to June 16.

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John McCain Chats Marriage With Ellen, Plans V(i)P BBQ

CitizenSugar — Thu, 22 May 2008 08:00:58 -0700

John McCain stopped by the Ellen Degeneres show yesterday, where talk turned. . . respectfully tense over the issue of gay marriage and Ellen's pending nuptials. Calling it "the elephant in the room" Ellen asked McCain to explain his position. McCain believes same-sex couples should be allowed legal unions for insurance and other purposes, but he opposes gay marriage and believes in "the unique status of marriage between and man and a woman." McCain said, "and I know that we have a respectful disagreement on that issue." McCain opposes an amendment to the Constitution to ban same-sex unions. To see how Ellen responded and McCain's plans for a Veepstakes BBQ,

How the CA Gay Marriage Ruling Affects Benefits and Taxes

LibertySugar — Tue, 20 May 2008 14:25:11 -0700

How the CA Gay Marriage Ruling Affects Benefits and Taxes Some of the biggest domestic news last week was the announcement that California's Supreme Court overturned the ban on gay marriage. The ruling means that same-sex couples will be able to obtain California marriage licenses and will be treated with the same state rights as heterosexual couples. In terms of benefits and taxes, not much will technically change from the existing CA domestic partnership law, but the language of marriage is important because it will make it easier for employers and health insurers to comply with the existing law.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Supports Gay Marriage Ruling

LibertySugar — Mon, 19 May 2008 06:00:56 -0700

Now that the California Supreme Court overturned the state's ban on same-sex marriage, the real question is whether the ruling will stick. California's Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has twice vetoed same-sex marriage legislation, has decided he will be one less person standing in the way of gay couples joyously planning their nuptials.

Arnold said he supports the ruling, which overturned an unconstitutional voter-approved ban, despite his personal view that "marriage is between a man and a woman." He told the SF Chronicle:

When the people vote, people are not legal experts, constitutional experts or any of that. I think that's why we have the courts. People may vote with good intentions, but then the court says, "This is not constitutional. It's not that the court interferes with the will of the people. But the court says, "You voted for something, but it's not constitutionally right, so let's rework this.'"

But the governator's support doesn't stop the battle. To see what's next,

California Supreme Court Overturned Gay Marriage Ban

LibertySugar — Thu, 15 May 2008 10:56:15 -0700

Just moments ago, the California Supreme Court overturned the state's ban on same-sex marriage. The court held that "to the extent the current California statutory provisions limit marriage to opposite-sex couples, these statutes are unconstitutional."

The court ruled 4-3. Unless overturned by the US Supreme Court, gays and lesbians have a constitutional right to marry in California. The SF Chronicle reports that:

Outside the city clerk's office, three opposite-sex couples were waiting at 10 a.m. for marriage certificates. City officials had prepared for a possible rush on certificates by same-sex couples, but hadn't yet changed the forms that ask couples to fill out the name of the "bride" and "groom."

The case goes back to February 2004, when SF Mayor Gavin Newsom ordered the city clerk to issue marriage licenses to couples regardless of their gender because he doubted the constitutionality of the state marriage law. California's highest court just agreed with him.

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Polish President Steals Wedding Video, Bashes Grooms

CitizenSugar — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 09:00:20 -0700

You're minding your own business, when all of a sudden you find out the president of Poland using your wedding footage to bolster his argument against gay marriage and saying that your life would be "against the universally accepted moral order in Poland and force our country to introduce an institution in conflict with the moral convictions of the decided majority of our country."

That's exactly what happened one New York man, Brendan Fay. Upon learning that Polish President Lech Kaczynski had interwoven the video of his wedding into a speech warning against the dangers of adopting the new EU constitutional treaty that could open the door to same-sex marriage in Poland, Fay fought back. Describing the experience he said, "I started getting translations of the phrase the president used as the image appeared... My reaction was just really... I thought, 'oh my God, what an insult.'"

An insult he wasn't going to accept. To see what he did,

California Supreme Court Hears Gay Marriage Arguments

CitizenSugar — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:00:23 -0800

The California Supreme Court heard over three hours of oral arguments for and against same-sex marriage, yesterday.

In 2004, the Supreme Court of California invalidated over 4,000 same-sex marriages authorized by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. Citing Proposition 22, a 2000 state initiative which legally defined marriage as between a man and a woman, the Court said the same-sex marriages violated state law. Twelve couples, along with the City of San Francisco sued the state of California, arguing that the law is unconstitutional.

For some of the arguments presented during oral arguments

Lighten Up: Better Know a Gay Lobbyist

LibertySugar — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:00:40 -0800

Stephen Colbert decided to interview the people who have more to do with US laws than Congress — lobbyists.

In the first segment of his infinite-part series "Better Know a Lobbyist" Stephen asks a prominent lobbyist for homosexual rights: "So, if I use birth control, you're saying that makes me gay?" Stephen's satire hilariously cuts through many of the arguments against gay marriage. Regardless of your stance on the issue, I'm sure you'll have a few laughs.

Headline: Gay Marriage Photos Lead to Arrests in Senegal

LibertySugar — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 11:03:11 -0800

For the month of February, we're going to be taking a look at love — and the politics that surround it. Our first story comes from Senegal.

Senegalese police just arrested several men in connection with pictures depicting a gay marriage ceremony. Homosexuality is illegal in Senegal, a predominately Muslim country, and the gay population continues to be excluded from meaningful participation in society.

After the controversial photographs were published in Icone magazine, the editor received numerous death threats. Some of the men arrested appear in the photographs, but it is not clear whether the arrests were made in connection with the threats or solely based on the pictures.

Do you find it utterly outrageous that simple photographs can have such extreme consequences, including threats of violence and arrests? Can homosexuality really be outlawed?

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